Gradual-reduction mill.



PATBNTED JAN. 30, 1906.

J. M. CASE.

GRADUAL REDUCTION MILL.

APPLICATION FILED MAILZI, 1903.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR.21, 1903.

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PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

J. M CASE. GRADUAL REDUCTION MILL.

APPLIOA'I'ION TILED MAR.21, 1903.

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PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906. J. M: CASE.

GRADUAL REDUCTION MILL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.21, 1903.

5 SHBETSSHBET 4:.

PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

J. M. CASE.

- GRADUAL REDUCTION MILL.

APPLICATION mum 11.21, 1903. i 5 snnn'rs-snnm '5.

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JOHN M. CASE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

GRMDUAL REDUCTIlON WIIILIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed March 21, 1903. Serial No. 148,94

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN i I. CASE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GlttClLlill-TifiilllClllOll Mills, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in roller flour-mills, and has for its object to provide a mill substantially in one frame, driven from one common shaft, and so constructed that the complete mill may be fin.

ished and all spouting and connections made in the factory, thus obviating the necessity of extensive millwrighting at the place of erection of the mill. i

A further object is to so construct the mill that the frame may be divided through the center into two sections, each of which may be readily placed in an ordinary box-car and shipped to the destination, where the mill may then be set up in a very short space of time and with a limited amount of labor.

A further object is to provide a mill that may be placed in a very small building, requiring no basement, but only one story and an attic for the reception of the finished. prodnet and the wheat-cleaning machinery.

A. further object is to provide a complete flour-mill that may be constructed, and put in operation at a greatly-reduced. cost ol construction. and expenditure of power, such mill having embodied in .it all the essential features for the highest-grade milling and. being adapted to make the highest grade of patent flour, a perfect finish of the ollal, and a large yield from the wheat, every machine requisite for the highest-grade mill being used in the construction.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved mill assembled. Fig. 2 is a section on the irregular line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the bolter, partly in section, taken on the lines 3 3, Figs. 4 and 7. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the base-board oi the bolter. Fig. 5 is a to plan view of the conveyors of the bolter. Fig.

6 is a detail view of the rollsdctached from the machine. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the bolter on the line 7 7, Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the bolter on the line 8 8, Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of" the mechanism for shaking the bolter. Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the bolter. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the conveyor. Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the screen or cloth with cleaners attached; and Fig. 12 is a side elevation of one of the mills, parts being broken away.

The wheat to be operated upon is received from a stock-hopper above (not shown) after being properly cleaned and is delivered through the spout A into a pair of rolls, (marked 1.) This pair of rolls is corrugated in the usual manner, and the wheat after being ground drops through a hopper 1 below, which hopper is connected by a flexible pipe 2 to a si'l'ting or bolting device 2" immediately beneath the roll. On this sifting device the wheat is first scalped on the upper sieve 2 the unfinished product tailing over this sieve, passing down through a suitable opening 2 to a conveying-trough 3 below,

whence it is carried forward to a point opposite an elevator, as shown. at 1, and by means of a flexible spout 5 the stock is delivered to said elevator and thence elevated and delivered to the next pair of rolls 6, where it is ground down to the finishing of the bran. It then passes onto the second section 6 of the thaur-silter, which is constructed the same as the first section, excepting that finer cloth or wire is used for the scalping of the material. The bran from this scalpel passes down through a suitable opening 6 and is delivered to the second. elevator 7, and from thence it is elevated to a bran-duster 8. In this bran-duster all ol the valuable material is brushed out and the bran delivered through spout 9 to a conveying-spout 10, connected to the top of the si'l ter, and thence conveyed to one of the elevators and elevated to the finished-feed bin. The product from the branduster is delivered onto the second sitter 6 This completes the first operation of my mill that is, it has reduced the wheat and separated the middlings and flour from the bran. Now, to return to the roll 1, the flour and middlings which have been made in this first reduction pass over two sieves arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 3. The flour which is taken oil on the first sieve 2 is delivered by cant-board 11 to the second sieve 12, the fines from which drop upon a second cantboard 12" and are delivered through a suitable opening 12 into the conveying-trough 21, which will be hereinafter more fully described. The middlings tail out over the second sieve 12 oi the series, and flour which has not been sifted out is delivered onto the next or last sieve 13 in this first section,wl1ere it is dusted, and the middlings tailed over through a suitable opening 13 into the conveying-trough 13 below, the fiour from this sieve being delivered through an opening 13 in the bottom of the sieve-box to another conveyer-trough 21, arranged immediately below the sifter. The operation herein explained is duplicated. precisely in the second reduction, and the middlings from the two reductions are conveyed through the conveying-trough 13 to a point 13 opposite one of the center elevators, into which elevator it is delivered through the flexible spout 14 and is taken up into the second story, when desired, and delivered to a suitable purifier 56, which purifier is arranged to take out all of the fine product on an upper sieve, and the coarser product is purified by means of aircurrents on the lower sieve. The middlings from the lower sieve of the purifier are delivered to the third pair of rolls, (marked 15, Fig. 1,) where they are suitably ground into flour and the product from this grinding delivered into the third section 15 of the sifting device below said rolls. Here I take out the higher grade of patent fiour, which drops upon the can t-board 15 then through suitable openings 15 15 trough 15 flexible spout 16 to the elevator 16* and is conducted to a flour-bin. (Not shown.) The tailings from the last sieve on this section are sent either directly to feed or to a suitable dusting device (not shown) if it is desired to make a very close finish of the product.

The middlings from the upper sieve of the purifier are spouted to the fourth pair of rolls 17 and are there suitably ground and delivered into the fourth section 17 of the sifting device, where they go through precisely the same operation as that section which receives the product from roll 15, tailing over to feed, these tailings from both pairs of rolls 15 and 17 passing through suitable openings and commingling in a conveying-trough 21 below. The unfinished middlings from the sifter handling the stock from the fourth pair of rolls is elevated and delivered to a scroll-mill, (marked 5 This scroll-mill is constructed for the purpose of grinding the soft fluffy stock and is especially adapted to that class of work near the tail of the mill, as it has more capacity than a pair of rolls on soft stock. The product from this scroll-mill is delivered onto one side of the sifting device 20 through the flexible spout 20 this section of the sieve being arranged to handle the stock from both the scroll-mill 5 and the last pair of rolls, the stock from the scroll-mill 5 being handled on one side of the sieve and that from the rollmill on the other side of the sieve. The un finished product from that section of the sieve which takes the stock from the scrollmill is tailed over into the conveying-trough 20 and delivered back into the last elevator at 19, from whence it is spouted to the last finishing-roll (marked 20) and ground down to a complete finish. The tailings from this grinding pass over into feed and are delivered into the same conveying-trough 21 that receives the feed from all the other reductions. All the flour made on both breaks and the smooth rolls and the scroll-mill, except a part of that made on the center section, which may be drawn off as patent, is delivered into the rear conveyer-box 21, Fig. 5, and by the shaking action of the sifter is carried to the center of the machine, where it is delivered out as finished flour through the side spout, (marked 22.) The feed is also carried back by another section, or the center section, of this shaking conveyer-trough to another opening leading to another conveyer, as shown at 23 24, where it is also carried up and delivered into the finished-feed bin.

The patent or highest-grade fiour is made on the upper sieve of the center section 15 and is returned backward and delivered into a suitable opening 15*, and in order to draw off this flour separately I make this pocket with a partition through the center, as shown at 27, Fig. 4, so that I make four different products and convey them all to one common center by the use of three different conveyertroughs, there being suitable bridges 28 formed in one of these troughs, so as to control the stock and deliver it to its proper elevator. I also provide means by the use of suitable sliding valves so that if the miller does not desire to make patent fiour he can slide the valve 29 in, so that the opening 15 leading down into the channel below, would be closed, as shown in Fig. 5. By drawing this valve 29 out the mill will make patent flour. By sliding the valve in the flour will run over the valve and deliver itself into the next opening, (marked 30,) whence it will be commingled with the straight-grade flour. I also provide a means for controlling the low grade by the use of the valve 31, Fig. 5. By sliding this valve in, the low-grade fiour will pass over the valve and be delivered into the next opening 32, which communicates, by

means of the spout 32, with the elevator that leads to the last finishing-roll, where it is reground and bolted into the straightflour. I also control the tailings from the last finishing-roll by the use of the valve 33, Fig. 41, so that if the miller desires to draw oil the last finished feed and not mix it with the coarser feed he may do so by simply pushing this valve in. I have thus far described in a general way the operation of the material upon my improved mill. I now desire to describe specifically the various mechanical parts and their relative connection with each other. Referring to Fig. 1, the mill is connected to a suitable power by means of the main drivingbelt 34. The pulley to which this belt is attached is connected directly to the outer end of one of the fast-running rolls. This roll is coupled to the next successive roll by means a of a coupling, (shown at 35, Fig. 6,) which performs the tunction of both a coiiuiling and a gear, the outer surtace ot the same being cut into gear-teeth an d arranged to mesh into two suitable gears 37, connected with the two slow-moving rolls. These gears on the slow rolls 37 are made about two and one-halt times the diameter ot those on thetast rolls 3? which gives a differential motion to the rolls of two and one-halt to one, by which means grinding is done as in the usual man.- ner. The next two fast-running rolls are connected together by means of an ordinary coupling 38, the shatts being keyed to this coupling. The next two tast-mnning rolls are connected at 39 precisely the same as in the first two rolls and have suitable geargi) on each of the two slow rolls. This gear may be made so as to giveless differential speed, it desired, by simply a ditterence in the relative diameters of the gears. The next two tast rolls are connected together rigidly at 40 in the same manner as the other two and have one slow r'ollconnected by gear lil to the tastroll shatt. The gear marked 42 connects with. the scroll-mill, (better shown at l3, Fig. l.) 011 the outer end ot the first tast roll, as shown at .1-4, I communicate power to a line-shatt 44 below by means ot the pulley on. the bran-dnster 8. On this same lineshatt I arrange two pairs ot gears, as shown at 48 and 49, which two pairs ot gears connect, by means of gears 18 and 48", with suitable vertical shatts 49 and 4-9", on which are arranged eccentrics 50, which work in eccentric-boxes 50, rigidly connected with the sitter, one near each end thereot. These vertical shafts 49 and 49 have arranged upon each of them suitable counterb alance-weights 52, made 0t suitable dimensions to provide a perfect counterbalance to the weight of the sitter, so that in the gyratory motion there is no shaking ot the machine, the one torce counterbalancing the other. The sitter is swung or pivoted upon tour vertical legs 51 in such a manner that as the sitter takes a gyrating motion it remains continuously in one common level plane. To more fully describe this sitter, I reter to Fig. 3, in which part ot the sitting device is shown in section and part in front elevation. This sitter, as will be seen, has suitable flexible connecting-pipes, which are rigidly connected at the top with a hopper under each pair ot rolls, also with the scroll-mill and the product troin the bran-duster. It also has suitable flexible spouts on the under side, arranged to communicate and connect rigidly at the bottom with their respective elevators. The sitter is divided usually into live sections, the two first sections being tor separating the breakstocks and the flour made thereon and the last three sections being tor separating the middlings and the flour made thereon. Each one ot these sections or sieves is independent of each of the successive sections, they being complete bolts within themselves and having suitable tailing-openings tor delivering the stock from each. bolt; but this part of my invention I desire to cover by a separate patent and will enter into more detailed description ot the same in that application, which is tiled of even date herewith.

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that I only require to elevate the stock being operated upon a sutlicient distance to deliver it back into the next successive reduction and that the elevators which pass up into the upper story are only a convenience tor delivering the finished product where it may be packed. into suitable sacks or the Hour packed in. the ordinary manner.

In Fig. i I have shown the system of teeding the stock and the plan ot tramming and adjustment of the rolls.

In Fig. 9 may be seen the means connecting the eccentric with the sitting-box, this being a most important matter in connection with sitters, as they are necessarily quite heavy, and. it .is important that the driving connections should be absolutely firm and tree from danger of becoming rickety or shaking to pieces, as is very trequently the itingnnur in 1 1un T tnmn ATM}- halt ot the eccentric band integral with a plate 0t metal 50, which l as suitable bolts 53 running through trom one side of the sitter-box to the other through the division between the two end sections of the sitter. These bolts clamp a plate 54 on the opposite side ot the box, so that I bind the whole box together and draw it up solid and rigid, and in this manner it is impossible tor the shaking device to get out ct order or any ot the parts to become loose, as the end board 54 ot the sitter-sections extends across the sitter, so that almost any tension may be drawn upon these end boards, keeping this important part of a sitting device in such perfect working order that it gives the miller no trouble whatever. By the use of the shaking-bottom, Fig. 9, connected with the sitter, I accomplish some very important teatures, one of which is that the entire product is delivered to positions where it is desired to take it without the use of convcyers, thus saving greatly in expense in the matter of first construction and also preventing the material from being injured by being conveyed from place to place by the ordinary screw conveyer. I also save very greatly in. expense by this shaking device, as each delivery-hole represents in the old-style milling a canvas spent, so that by retcrring to Fig. i it will be seen that there are in the bottom of the sitter leading to the shaking-trough eighteen delivery-holes, each of which would represent in the ordinary construction ot mill a canvas spout, and the entire expense of my spouts, as will be seen, consists simply in boring eighteen holes. It will be necessary to explain in this specification the auxiliary delivcry-spouts, which are arranged immediately beneath the shakingtrough. These spouts are shown by the projecting points on the sides of Figs. 4 and 5 and also in an enlarged view at 55, Fig. 8. The side spouts are arranged to discharge the stock so that it may be readily delivered into elevators. They also control the delivery of the different products as they are divided into sections of two and four, and the holes immediately above these delivery-spouts are cut in the proper place to deliver the stocks to their proper section and proper elevator.

In small custom mills it is often desirable that the miller deliver the finished feed and flour directly to sacks or boxes from which he shovels it up and puts it in the customers bags. I11 cases of this kind it is not neces sary that the four center elevators should extend to the upper story. The middlingspurifier 56 may be suspended between the elevators and over the middlings-rolls on the same story, as shown in Fig. 1, and the elevators herein shown as passing up into the second story may be made the same height of those at each end of the machine, or about eight feet in height, so that the extreme height of the mill at no point is over eight feet, thus enabling it to he placed in a onestory building without disturbing any of the parts of the building or the floors and joists above or below. The drive-shaft from the fast roll may be connected with an extended shaft that, if necessary, may pass outside of the mill-building or store-room and connected with drive-power on the outside of the building. In this construction it is apparent that a complete flour-mill having a capacity of forty barrels in twenty-four hours may be placed in a small store-room or in a small out building. In this simplicity of the complete mill I am enabled to supply mills to the trade at about one-half the cost of ordinary roller-mills, and the same may be driven with about one-half the powernot infrequently one-third the powerof that required for the standard roller-mills. This places the mill within the reach of a class of men having small threshing machine engines, sawmill-engines, or limited waterpower, where they can erect a mill at a small cost and enabling them to use a power which frequently is idle for most of the year. An other advantage of this construction of a mill is that its bulk and weight are less than one-third that of any other roller-mill now built, and I am enabled to place three of these complete mills in one box-car, where it would require from two to three cars to load one mill of the old construction. This gives me a great advantagein the matter of freight and in the delivery to foreign countries and in the transportation of mills to the border sections of the country. I am also enabled to ship this mill in what is termed knocle down or in separated pieces, so that no one piece will weigh over one hundred and fifty pounds, thus enabling the purchaser to transport the mill over mountainous sections either in small wagons or on the backs of animals, thus enabling me to reach a section which has hitherto never been reached by parties erecting roller-mills.

Having thus described the invention, the following is what I claim as new therein:

1. In a gradual-reduction milling-machine, arranged in a single structure, the combination of a series of mills arranged in a horizontal line, a gyratory bolt structure disposed beneath the mills and comprising a series of independent bolts having a plurality of sieves, separate connections between each mill and a bolt, a plurality of troughs receiving the material from each bolt, and means for conveying a plurality of the products of the same bolt received by the troughs, from the troughs to separate mills of the series.

2. In a gradual-reduction milling-machine, arranged in a single structure, the combination of a series of mills 'arranged in a horizontal line, a gyratory bolt structure disposed beneath the mills and comprising a series of independent bolts having a plurality of sieves, separate connections between each mill and a bolt, a conveyer movable with the structure and embodying a plurality of troughs disposed to receive all the products from each bolt, and the products from the same bolt in different troughs, and means for conveying a plurality of the products of the same bolt received by the troughs, from the troughs to separate mills of the series.

The foregoing specification signed this 20th day of March, 1903.

JOHN M. CASE. In presence of EDWIN S. CLARKsoN, HAROLD. LEWIS. 

